Corrupted Dreams

Unsolved Problems

As the next day drew on, there was no shadowy figure for us to find, and the night seemed just as rough as the two before. Cas never bothered intruding me with questions of the dreams, he knew I had my moment of sharing. He didn't come prying for answers, but never closed himself off either. Instead he just waited on stand-by, being there in case I needed him. It was nice, a breath of fresh air from being suffocated by Setanta's concern. If he were here instead of Cas, I'd be soothed into a trap by him, then drilled for answers. What's worse is he'd be successful at it.

Cas wasn't one I had to concern myself with, Fujimaru, on the other hand, wasn't easily tamed. For a scatter brain like him, he was uncannily conscious of the welfare of his servants. As the mana that infused my body was slightly lowered in potency due to my lack of sleep, Fujimare didn't hesitate to get on my back.

"What's wrong, Shirou?" Wide blue eyes waited for my response.

"Huh?"

"You're not acting with the same proficiency in the field, and your mana feels lower. Is something the matter? Is your injury still troubling you?"

"No, it's not that... I just haven't been sleeping as much."

"Oh?" He still stared at me, waiting for me to explain.

"Don't worry, it's just a couple of bad night's sleeping. I'll be back to normal in no time, but thanks for the concern, Master." I rubbed his head, continuing on, ending the conversation. He apparently didn't think it was over.

"Why haven't you been sleeping well?"

"I don't know, I just haven't been sleeping well."

"Does it have to do with your injury at all?" In truth, I believe it did.

"No, my injury is healed. Really, I'm fine."

"Mm... alright, but let me know if you keep having trouble sleeping."

"Alright." My agreement seemed to be all he needed, and he let the topic rest with a smile.

The next day, Fujimaru came and checked on me first thing in the morning asking me if I'd had a better time sleeping. Lying, I'd said yes. His focus at the moment needed to be on the mission, not me. As a way to hold up the lie, I tried to keep myself alert and at least appear refreshed so Fujimaru wouldn't have such a close eye on me.

Though I didn't get much sleep, and dealt with a constant headache, the dreams themselves seemed to be evolving into something more tangible. The "other" presence in the dreams was becoming more firm too, and fragments of scenes were coming. I felt that in a couple more nights, I might be able to piece together what they're really about, possibly. My body had a habit of waking me up in a feverish mess whenever I came close to grasping something. Regardless of the physical and mental torment the nightmares inflicted on me, I was excited. There was a message encrypted in these dreams, and I was eager to receive it.

On our way through the city it'd been a while since we'd seen any monster's. I watched Achilles shuffle around in front of me, idly spinning his spear. He was already eager for the next fight. Out of boredom, he went and tried starting up a conversation with Cas. The Irish man shooed him away, pausing as the wind picked up. Fujimaru stopped too with his eyes locked on the caster. "Did you catch something?" Our master asked.

Cas took a moment of thought, narrowing his eyes on the invisible air, as if he could see the darkness flowing on its threads. "Yes." He paused again. "We're close. Check with Mash, see if she can catch something."

"There is something west of you, but you're too far away to get a good signal." Mash voice came through.

"Alright," Fujimaru began. "Then we head west. If this is really it, then you'll probably be cut off from us, Mash."